This section of our website contains some fun facts about Australia that we hope you will find interesting.

Australia is Big

Australia is big! Australia is the world's 6th largest country - occupying an entire continent with a size of approximately 7.6 million km² (2.9 million miles²). Another interesting fact is that servicing such a large land mass requires big trucks! In fact, Australia has the largest and heaviest road-legal vehicles in the world, with some "Road Trains" reaching close to 200 tonnes in gross vehicle mass (GVM).

Australia is Sparse

Although Australia is one of the biggest countries in the world, it is also one of the least densely populated! Australia's population density is a low 3 people per km² - a stark contrast to other countries such as the United States (35 people per km²) and the United Kingdom (267 people per km²).

Greek Population

Melbourne is home to the largest Greek population of any city in the world outside of Greece! Only the cities of Athens and Thessaloniki (both in Greece) have larger Greek populations. It is estimated that there are more than 150,000 Greek people living in Melbourne.

Sheep

Australia is home to approximately 75 million sheep - a ratio of approximately three to one when compared to Australia's population of 24 million people. As of 2014, Australia had the third largest population of sheep in the world, after only China (187 million sheep) and India (75 million sheep).

Cattle

Australia is home to the largest working cattle station in the world. Anna Creek Station, located in the South Australian outback, covers 23,677 km2. This makes Anna Creek Station considerably larger than Israel (20,770 km2).

The Right to Vote

Australia was the second country in the world (after New Zealand) to grant women the right to vote. Australia's Parliament House, located in Canberra, is pictured on the left. The dates of when Australian women gained rights to vote can be found on the Australian Electoral Commission website.

Melbourne Cup

On the first Tuesday of November every year the Melbourne Cup is held. It is affectionately known as "the race that stops the nation". The race has a long tradition, with the first race being run in 1861. The race day is gazetted as a public holiday in Melbourne.

Commonwealth Coat of Arms

The Commonwealth Coat of Arms features two native animals - the kangaroo and the emu. Some people say that the kangaroo and the emu are on the Coat of Arms because they cannot walk backwards; which is symbolic of Australia moving forward. Detailed information about the Commonwealth Coat of Arms can be found at the Australian Government's It's an Honour website.